


PSA :  Spelling & Grammar

by Fuguestate



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Audience participation encouraged, Meta, Other, PSA, Seriously this is so frustrating, Spellcheck is not your friend, grammar, spelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-24
Updated: 2013-03-24
Packaged: 2017-12-06 10:06:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/734455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuguestate/pseuds/Fuguestate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>aka, "Small mistakes that can ruin otherwise nifty stories, and how to avoid them."</p>
            </blockquote>





	PSA :  Spelling & Grammar

These are all things I've encountered that throw me right out of whatever story I'm reading. Sometimes I can slog through in spite of it, but more often I can't because it's too distracting. I'm aware that English is weird, especially if it's not one's native language. That's why I'm writing this and putting it here, instead of going off on a rant at every single story that does one of these things.

(Additions courtesy of [cancerchild](http://archiveofourown.org/users/cancerchild/pseuds/cancerchild) and [VioletArroyo](http://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletArroyo/pseuds/VioletArroyo))

 

**Spelling/Mistaken Words:**

Definitely = clearly _defined_ , certain. "I definitely heard that noise."  
Defiantly = aggressively opposed. "He stared defiantly at the giant."  
 ~~Definately~~ = NOT A WORD.

To = indicates direction. "He went to get more ammunition."  
Too = also. "I've got you my pretty, and your little dog, too."  
Two = number. "A bicyclops has two heads."

Your = possessive, belonging to you. "Your breath smells like an abbatoir."  
You're = contraction of "you are". "You're about to step off a cliff."

Are = state of existing. "She said we are too late."  
Our = possessive, belonging to us. "We brought our torches and pitchforks for the occasion."

Then = refers to time or causality. "Back then, we liked to hunt vampires."  
Than = used to compare. "Holy water repels vampires better than apple juice."

There = direction. "I saw the Slenderman over there."  
Their = plural possessive. "After seeing the Slenderman, their friend went missing."  
They're = contraction of "they are". "They're getting closer, do something!"

Lose = opposite of gain. "Don't lose that dagger."  
Loose = not tight. "The knots were too loose and the werewolf escaped."

Shudder = to tremble or shake. "He shuddered to think of what would happen to them."  
Shutter = noun: cover, verb: to close. "Close the shutters before the zombies get to the window." "See to it that the windows are shuttered."

Affect = verb. "Silver bullets will not affect a shoggoth. The shoggoth will not be affected."  
Effect = noun. "Febreeze has no effect on a shoggoth, either.

Taut = tight. "Pull the rope taut."  
Taunt = to tease. "Do not taunt the monster in your closet."

Lave = to wash. "The dog laved her hand with its tongue."  
Lathe = a rotary woodcarving tool. "The table legs were made with a lathe."

Peak = the top, or climax. "The tension reached a peak when he barfed on his boss's shoes."  
Peek = small, furtive look. "I wanted to get a peek at her new blaster."

Breath = noun. "He took a deep breath of incense."  
Breathe = verb. "Don't breathe the fumes in this cave."

Gravely = seriously. "Your pet dinosaur is gravely ill."  
Gravelly = rough, like gravel. "Doctor Girlfriend has a very gravelly voice."

Allude = refer. "The story alludes to the supernatural as a cause for insanity."  
Elude = escape. "We eluded the authorities by deploying smoke bombs."

Aisle = a passage between rows, like at the grocery store. "The holy water is two aisles down, near healing potions."  
Isle = a small island. "They stranded him on the Isle of Giant Hamsters."  
I'll = contraction of "I will". "I'll make you pay for mocking my taste in movies."  


Except = other than this instance. "Everyone was armed except that quiet guy with the parakeet."  
Accept = to take, receive or agree with. "Very well, I accept your surrender."

**Plural/Possessive:**

Except for the word "it", an apostrophe +s ('s) is used to indicate possession. Plural is shown with a single -s or -es (Example - bricks, dishes)

With names ending in -s, you can get away with only using an apostrophe (Example - the Jones' house, Smithers' glasses)

 **Correct:** I have two cats. (If there is more than one of something, there is _never_ an apostrophe.)  
 **Incorrect:** I have two cat's. (Adding the apostrophe means possession or contraction. You have two cat's what? Cat's beds? Cat's toys?)

 **Correct:** "The ogre raised its club" (possession - the club belongs to the ogre)  
 **Correct:** "It's time to go." (It's = it is)  
 **Incorrect:** "The Batmobile lost it's wheel." (lost _it is_ wheel?)

**General:**

All nouns/adjectives beginning with vowels are preceded by "an," not "a." A chair. AN excellent performance.

"That" is almost never necessary; "which, who, whom" and "the" work just fine. Sometimes the word can be excised from a sentence altogether and it's still correct and now more concise. There are times you want to say "that one," but other than those instances and in dialogue, it's not grammatically correct.

( _ **VERY**_ important!)For fandom's sake, please get the spelling of a character's name correct. A quick google search should give it to you.

 

Stop relying on Spellcheck. Spellcheck is about as intelligent as the average kumquat and should be given about as much trust with the impression you make on people. Remember the poem:

_Eye halve a spelling checker_  
 _It came with my pea sea._  
 _It plainly marks four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea._  
 _Eye strike a quay and type a word and weight for it to say_  
 _Weather eye yam wrong oar write._  
 _It shows me strait a weigh as soon as a mist ache is maid._  
 _It nose bee fore two long and eye can put the error rite._  
 _Its rare lea ever wrong._  
 _Eye have run this poem threw it,_  
 _I am shore your pleased to no._  
 _Its letter perfect awl the way._  
 _My checker told me sew._

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to add any others in comments, and I'll update to include them.


End file.
